By Laura Lunt,
Why did you want to take part in a mini career project?
To gain an insight into my dream job and to find out first-hand what it entails.
What career/professional did you want to speak to?
A paramedic.
What key things did you want to ask a paramedic & why?
I asked this because it shows me how a paramedic gets on throughout the day, which has given me more information about the job.
There are many jobs, especially in healthcare, so it’s interesting to know why a paramedic?
I know that most healthcare jobs don’t stop where you start and you can advance yourself a lot. Therefore, I wanted to know other areas in healthcare a paramedic could go and other roles you could move into.
What did you find out from the professional?
The paramedic told me a lot of valuable information, for which I am grateful. They told me the answers to my questions in a lot of detail. For example, the answer to question 3 (above) was that you can branch off into primary care, education and management, even research. Which is interesting to know, as I only thought that you could work on the medical side of things. Finding out about these other options/directions to work in surprised me!
Any top tips or key information you found out, which you think other young people may be interested in?
I would definitely try and ask questions to help you choose whether the job is suitable for you or not, and if it’s still something you’re interested in.
A Your Rheum mini career project is a great opportunity to find out about things you may not be able to ask in person by yourself. By having someone like Laura to help you ask these questions, you may feel more confident. All of my questions and answers have been good to know – I have a chronic condition, so I know whether the role is suitable for me or not (e.g. would I find being a paramedic too tiring).
List any resources (e.g. websites, organisations, social media accounts, training), you found out through taking part which you found helpful?
The St Johns ambulance website has a lot of great info on paramedics in England. I think it differs a lot between hospital trusts so I’d be look at your local area website. https://www.sja.org.uk/
Quick facts from my mini careers chat with a paramedic
Any additional comments?
Go for it! I’ve learnt a lot from this.
Written by Ecem Esen
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